Steaming process for short cut pasta

ABSTRACT

A short cut pasta treatment apparatus utilizes a steamer (13) for steam treating short cut pasta products after extrusion and before handling. The steamer has a housing (14) in which pipes (23) with nozzles (24) are disposed, both above and below an endless belt conveyor (21) which passes through the housing. &#34;Green&#34; pasta is carried by the conveyor through the housing, exposing the pasta to live steam. The pasta is steam treated for a time sufficient to partially gelatinize and cook the pasta product, which reduces tackiness and strengthens the product to limit breakage. Air is then drawn by the pasta by a pair of fans (25) to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta, allowing the partially cooked pasta to be handled and stored without agglomeration. The pasta product is then transported by a conveyor (28) to metering means.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 406,045, filed Sept. 12,1989.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates a method and apparatus for steam treating freshshort cut pasta for increasing handling strength, allowing automaticprocessing without drying.

BACKGROUND

Alimentary products are usually prepared from flour, such as semolina,durum or other hard wheat, and water, which are metered in properproportions and mixed until the wheat absorbs the water, forming aviscous pasta dough. Other ingredients, such as whole eggs or eggwhites, are often added to enhance cooking quality. The dough is thenextruded or otherwise formed to produce a shaped pasta product, such asspaghetti, or cut into smaller short cut products such as elbow macaronior alphabet pasta. These cut products are termed "short cut pastaproducts", to distinguish from long cut products such as spaghetti. Theresulting short cut product usually has a predetermined size, shape andweight.

After extrusion, the fresh pasta product, commonly referred to in theindustry as "green" pasta, may be dried and placed in a can along withsauce and other ingredients and then cooked. However, dried pasta is notas flavorful as fresh pasta, and the pasta is more preferably preparedwithout ever passing through a drying operation. Generally, methods doexist for canning long pasta, such as spaghetti, in a "green" or undriedstate. However, it has never been practical to directly package shortcut products such as elbow macaroni or alphabet pasta. The main problemis that these short cut products are soft, and quite plastic and stickydue to their high moisture content. When attempting to handle freshshort cut products by conveying or passing through volumetric orgravimetric scaling devices, or storing for any length of time, theproduct tends to loose its shape, stick together or stick to variousparts of the equipment.

Thus, the current state of the art for preparing short cut pastaproducts calls for drying the product to commercial moisture levels ofabout 10-12%, prior to separation, weighing and packaging. However, thisdrying process requires substantial energy, while further reducingfreshness and increasing the chance for product contamination, as thedrying process generally takes between 3 and 8 hours. Such a dryingprocess requires very large and expensive drying equipment, addingsubstantially to the cost required to prepare a short cut product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method andapparatus for packaging short cut pasta products without requiring adrying step.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method andapparatus which is adaptable to continuous operation, substantiallyshortening the time required to produce a packaged short cut pastaproduct.

It is another object of present invention to eliminate the need forlarge and expensive drying equipment when canning short cut pastaproducts.

These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a shortcut pasta product treatment process comprising: exposing the short cutproduct to live steam for a time sufficient to partially gelatinize theshort cut product; and, cooling the product using ambient air. Theprocess may further comprise separating any lumps of the product whichmay have formed during the steaming process and packaging the short cutpasta product. Utilizing live steam to treat the short cut producteliminates stickiness while adding strength to the product so that itcan be handled by automatic conveying and weighing equipment withoutdeformation and at the same partially pasteurizes the product toincrease its wholesomeness. Thus the pre-handling treatment leaves theproduct rubbery and strong, although it still maintains a high moisturecontent, on the order of 29-32%. This steaming has an additionaladvantage of increasing the thermal resistance of the product to reducethe potential for overcooking during the final cooking step after thepasta is incorporated in a package.

The apparatus used in performing the process of the present inventioncomprises a steamer, having a housing and means for supplying live steamtherein. One or more pipes may be used to supply the steam, each pipehaving a plurality of nozzles for injecting steam into the housing. Thenozzles are sized to admit sufficient steam to partially gelatinize thepasta, without cooking it. The steamer has duct means to carry awayexcess steam and to prevent pressurization. Conveying means, such as acontinuous porous belt, may be used to carry the short cut pasta productthrough the steamer at a controlled speed. The apparatus furthercomprises cooling means for passing air by the short cut product aftersteaming for removing surface moisture and cooling the product. Theconveying means may similarly carry the product by the cooling means.Pneumatic conveying means may be disposed at the end of the apparatus,to receive the product for delivery to its next processing point. Suchconveying means also separates any product which may have stuck togetherduring the steaming process. Metering means are generally provided atthe end of the pneumatic conveying means for dosing the short cut pastaproduct into packages, such as cans. Conventional volumetric orgravimetric weighing machines may be used. The process may then becompleted with conventional apparatus such as sauce filling means, canseaming means, cooking means and sterilization means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the pretreatment process of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the pretreatment apparatus usable forperforming the steaming process of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the steamer usable in thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the steam nozzle arrangement of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a short cut pasta canning process. Forexemplary purposes, the process is shown as producing short cut pastafor canning. However, it will be understood that the pasta can be placedin pouches, or other types of packages.

Referring to FIG. 1, the process begins with a mixer 1 into which one ormore types of flour, and water are metered, preferably by computercontrol, and mixed to form a viscous pasta dough. Other ingredients suchas whole eggs or egg whites may also be added in the mixer, with theseand other ingredients being generally known in the art. The mixer is ofconventional design including paddles 2 on two shafts, 3 and 4, forkeeping the ingredients and the resulting dough constantly mixing. Anexemplary continuous feed alimentary pasta mixer is disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 4,121,301 to Defrancisci, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

The dough resides in the-mixer for about 10-12 minutes, until the doughachieves a viscous, almost granular consistency, indicating that it isready for extrusion.

After mixing, the dough falls by gravity into an extruder 5 which has along barrel 6, with an auger 7 disposed therein. The auger 7 drives thedough forward, to produce the pressure needed for extrusion. At the endof the auger is a die plate 8 which includes a number of shaped holes(not shown). Various die hole configurations may be used depending onthe type of product made. For example, the dough may be extruded throughalphabet shaped holes to produce an alphabet type pasta product. As thepasta is extruded through the holes in the die, a knife blade 10,positioned next to the die surface, cuts the pasta to the desiredlength, forming a green short cut pasta product 11. The knife 10 may becontrolled by a timer or respond to a particular length of pasta passinga length indicator. This assures that all the pasta is cut toapproximately the same length. Some examples of short cut pasta includeziti, alphabet pasta, animal shaped pasta, elbow macaroni or the like.

As the cut raw pasta 11 drops from the knife blade, it lands on aconveyor 12 which transports the cut raw pasta to a steamer 13.Referring to FIG. 2, the steamer has a housing 14 surrounding a steamchamber 15. The housing is rectangular and has a roof 16, a floor 17 andinlet and outlet openings, 18 and 19, respectively. Two vents 20 areprovided in the roof 16. The steamer is preferably about 10-60 feetlong, and made of stainless steel.

A endless conveyor 21 has a porous belt 22, which passes through thesteam chamber, carrying the short cut pasta product. The belt 22 ispreferably made of wire mesh which may be coasted with a non-stickmaterial, such as a fluorocarbon elastomer. The belt is generallybetween about 20-48 inches wide. The belt passes through the chamber,and then returns to the inlet opening by passing beneath the steamer.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of steam pipes 23 are disposedin the housing above and below the porous belt. Each pipe has aplurality of nozzles 24 uniformly spaced for admitting live steam to thechamber. "Live steam" refers to the direct contact of the product withthe steam.

Sufficient steam is admitted to partially gelatinize and cook the shortcut pasta product as it passes through the steamer, providing a productwhich is less sticky than the uncooked pasta product, yet retains a highmoisture content. Generally, the steam is provided at a pressure ofabout 1-15 psi, preferably 1-7 psi, which is suitable for treating theshort cut pasta product. Generally, low pressure steam is preferred ashigher pressure steam could damage the delicate raw pasta product duringtreating. Similarly, the speed of the belt is controlled to limit theexposure of the pasta to the steam to prevent over-cooking. Generally,the pasta is steam treated for about 1-4 minutes. Of course, the bulkiershort cut products will require longer exposure times while small,delicate products will require less, and the process is not limited bythis range. Steaming is done to obtain a moisture content of about25-35%, by weight, preferably 29-32%.

After steaming, the pasta product is cooled using ambient air. Referringagain to FIG. 2, the conveyor 21 carries the pasta 11 past a pair offans 25, which draw air through the porous belt 22. Of course, the airmay either be blown beneath the belt or drawn through the belt. The aircools the pasta to stop further cooking, and removes surface moisture.The air flow also agitates the product to prevent agglomeration orsticking to the conveyor belt. Cooling is provided by drawing air by theproduct for from 10-30 seconds.

A hopper 26 is placed at the end of the belt 22, beneath a doctor blade27. The blade 27 assures that all the pasta enters the hopper. Thehopper 26 feeds directly into a conveyor 28, which is preferably apneumatic conveyor, which uses an air stream to move a product. A blower29 supplies the air which carries the product through the conveyor.Since the pasta has been steam treated according to the inventiveprocess, it can be handled by such equipment without damage oragglomeration. Such a conveyor offers an additional advantage, byseparating any lumps formed during the steaming process.

A cyclone separator 30 is located at the end of the conveyor 28. Theseparator separates the pasta from the air stream for deposit onto ashaker conveyor 31 which is used to temporarily accumulate the product.Such a conveyor keeps the product fluid to prevent agglomeration. Theshaker conveyor feed the pasta product to a gravimetric weigher 32.

The metering means are used to dose the short cut pasta product intopackages, such as cans. Conventional volumetric or gravimetric scalingdevises may be used, and operates with the shaker conveyor to allowedflow from the shaker conveyor to the weigher until a particular setweight limit is reached. The conveyor forward motion is then stopped,but the shaking continues. Were the product not steam treated, it couldnot be handled in this way. The gravimetric weigher 32 empties bydischarging the cut pasta product 11 into a can 33.

Empty cans 34 are staged on a conveyor 35 and are provided in a singleline to a loading position 36 beneath the weigher. The cans arecontrolled conventionally to stop beneath the gravimetric weigher, untilfilled, and then another empty can is staged in the loading position.After filling, the cans stop at a checker 37 to assure that they are ofthe proper weight. The cans are then sent for other processing steps,such as the addition of sauces or flavoring agents or for sealing, whichall use conventional equipment.

The partial steaming of the cut pasta product prior to handling providesa product which is less susceptible to breakage and is easily handledwithout sticking. An automated short cut pasta system is achieved whichis far superior to the manual systems presently used, as a costly andtime consuming drying step is avoided, while providing a fresher, morewholesome product. The cycle time is reduced from 3-8 hours to 1-5minutes. In addition, by precooking the short cut pasta with steam, theresulting pasta product is less susceptible to overcooking in the finalcooking step after canning, increasing cooking consistency from packageto package. Thus, a higher quality product is achieved, with asubstantial savings in equipment and operating costs.

While the invention has been shown and described in relation to aparticular steamer/cooler apparatus, it will understood by those skilledin the art that various other steamer configurations could be used toproduce the treated pasta product of the present invention and otherequipment variations could be done used varying from the scope of thepresent invention.

I claim:
 1. An apparatus for producing a short cut pasta productcomprising:a steamer, having a housing, steam application means,disposed within the housing, for providing live steam for partiallygelatinizing and cooking the pasta product; cooling means for passingambient air by the pasta product to stop the cooking and to cool thepasta product; first conveying means for conveying the pasta productthrough the housing at a controlled rate to limit exposure of the pastaproduct to the live steam; and second conveying means disposed adjacentthe first conveying means for transporting the treated pasta product tometering means.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cooling meanscomprise one or more fans for drawing air by the pasta product.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the conveying means a porous endless beltconveyor.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a cycloneseparator, disposed at the end of the second conveying means forseparating the treated pasta product.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4further comprising metering means for metering a portion of thecollected pasta product into a package.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the second conveying means is a pneumatic conveyor.